Not only is Tam Coc – Bich Dong in Ninh Binh blessed with picturesque scenery, captivating people’s hearts, it also makes many visitors who come here experience unforgettable “unique, strange” professions that few places have.
Tam Coc – Bich Dong (located in Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province) and known as “Ha Long on land”, is a key tourist area of Vietnam located in the Trang An Scenic Complex which has been ranked by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
In order to explore the beauty of Tam Coc – Bich Dong, visitors have to take a boat along the poetic Ngo Dong River to see the ancient mossy limestone mountains, the clear blue water… most of the scenery here still has its pristine beauty. Therefore, there are many “unique, strange” jobs here that will make visitors curious and excited.
Rowing a boat by foot
Considered a “Ha Long on land”, in recent years Tam Coc – Bich Dong has always been a famous tourist destination and attracts the most tourists in Ninh Binh province, especially foreign tourists. Coming to this land, in addition to relaxing to watch the rivers, mountains, clouds and sky… visitors are also very excited by the image of rowing a boat by foot quite skillfully by the local people.
Due to the nature of visiting Tam Coc – Bich Dong, all of which are floating on the river, since this tourist area was put into operation, the boat rowing profession has also been born, helping people in Ninh Hai commune have more income. The special thing is that the boat rowing team here does not belong to any individual but comes from most of households in the commune.
To row a boat on the Ngo Dong River, households need to have a local resident, make their own boat and be numbered by the Management Board. In turn, according to the number, all families in the commune take turns rowing boats to serve tourists. Therefore, when coming to Tam Coc – Bich Dong, tourists can easily see children; the elderly; and women doing this job but with very skillfully.
When the boat leaves the dock, taking tourists to visit each point in the tourist area, from the upstream water, to places with many rocky rapids, or going through caves… the boat rowers still use their feet to control the boat to move in the water surface. The season come from that the total length of the round trip is about 16 km, all by boat, so if rowing by hand would be very tiring, so the local people use their feet to make it less difficult.
Taking photos, selling goods in shifts on the river
In addition to enjoying the scene of skillful rowing by foot, when coming to Tam Coc – Bich Dong, visitors can also witness some other “unique, strange” jobs such as taking photos and selling goods to make a living on the river. According to research, those who do business in photography at tourist areas must be registered and will be able to take photos by the hour, by the day, depending on the number of customers.
To avoid competition, the tourist management board has divided many locations for people to take photos on the Ngo Dong River. Each location usually has 2-3 photographers using boats to offer photos. According to regulations, when approaching the boat, photographers can only take photos with the tourists’ consent, otherwise, they will be severely punished.
Therefore, along the Ngo Dong River, there are 5-7 photo spots on the river, but everyone operates very professionally and friendly.
In addition to taking photos on the river, on the journey to explore Tam Coc, visitors can also witness a market in the middle of the river. It is called a market but it is actually a grocery store serving tourists with about 10 boats. This market is usually concentrated at a certain location, near the end of the journey and sells a lot of items, from snacks to flowers and local products.
The vendors on the river also have clear regulations on selling hours and days. When the time is up, these people will have to row their boats back to the dock to give their place to the next people. Although the business is unstable on the river, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, the prices of the items sold here are not too high compared to the market price, so tourists are quite comfortable when stopping to explore and shop.
Coming to Tam Coc – Bich Dong, not only can you immerse yourself in nature, enjoy the fresh air of a peaceful river area, but through interesting experiences on the river, seeing and witnessing “unique, strange” jobs will somehow make tourists feel excited when coming to the land and people here.
Source: collected by An
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